Warning! Soda is Bad for You! (Duh! No Kidding!)

A California lawmaker introduced a bill to require food companies to label “sugary” drinks with a  warning label.  State Senator Bill Monning, the author of the bill told a reporter from Reuters, “When the science is this conclusive, the state of California has a responsibility to take steps to protect consumers.”

Anyone who knows me (even a little bit) knows that I am an advocate for living a healthy lifestyle and that includes eating healthy foods.  At the same time I don’t think a warning label will change the habits of the typical American who enjoys eating the typical Standard American Diet (SAD).

Food companies know darned well what they are doing when it comes to selling their (junk) foods. They spend millions if not billions of dollars to figure out what kinds of tastes will keep their customers coming back for more and that’s the mainstay for any business isn’t it?  They need repeat customers and what better way to get customers coming back for more than saturating drinks with sugar (real and fake).

Sugar is addicting. I think everyone knows that…but it just tastes soooo good!  We don’t see the health problems that sugar causes us until we have a health crisis, like Type II Diabetes. I think we need more education about how our food choices effect our health.

Do you know that you have to walk a brisk thirty five minutes to walk off the 162 calories you just drank in a 12 ounce can of soda? I know someone who drinks a six pack of Coke everyday and takes four different medications to remain  mentally “stable.” I am willing to bet if he stopped drinking all that soda, he wouldn’t have to take all those meds.

Thirty-three percent of the sugar we consume comes from drinks.  The rest is hidden in foods we don’t even think about. The majority of sugar in packaged foods and soft drinks is genetically modified (GMO). If the label says “sugar” it’s from a sugar beet which is GMO… its not even real sugar!

For those of you believing you are better off drinking diet soda– keep fooling yourself. Artificial sweeteners are made from a shit storm of chemicals causing all sorts of other health problems. How many of you have witnessed someone order a bacon cheeseburger with chili cheese fries and a diet Coke?  Do they look in the least bit healthy to you?  I’m guessing the answer is “no.” Those people are only fooling themselves in to thinking they are eating somewhat healthy.

Sugar effects our waistline and our brain functions. How many of you are eating boxes of candy (since it’s Valentines Day today) and later on will feel sleepy? It’s the sugar messing with your head… but I am hoping you already know that.

If we already know that sugar is bad for us, then why did the average American consume 162 pounds last year?  Last year New York City Mayor Bloomberg tried to get sugary drinks over sixteen ounces banned. People revolted.  They don’t want government in interfering with their right to eat or drink what they want…but they do apparently want cheap medical care when they get sick.


I stopped eating junk foods and that includes soda and anything with sugar over three years ago…but I do occasionally eat a small piece of chocolate or cupcake. Guess what! Two hours later I am craving another piece! The craving for sugar does not go away. Our bodies like sugar, but look at what its doing to our health and our children’s health.

I have watched so many people over the years take endless bottles of prescription medications and continue to eat the foods that got them sick in the first place.  It doesn’t make sense to me.

We don’t need a warning label, we need a paradigm shift in how we see food and the connection between disease and junk foods. Children should be educated  how making healthy food choices will keep them healthy.  Eating healthy foods make you feel better.

I am also aware that what I am saying is blasphemy in the eyes of corporations who make billions of dollars each year selling us foods that make us sick.  The soda manufacturing companies need to keep selling us sodas. Who cares if it’s making us fat or sick? That’s more revenue for the  health industry! And how much money did Weight Watcher’s rake in last year?  The numbers aren’t in for 2013 but they made $253 million in 2012. I met someone the other day who has been going to their meetings for ten years and jokingly admitted that he has lost thousands of pounds.  What a racket!

I am not against labeling foods. We need to be aware of what we are buying so we can make a conscious decision.  I don’t understand why a warning label about the effects of sugary drinks is  important to  Senator Monning.  There is so much other fraud going on in the food industry right now that I think it is more important to expose and legislate that.  Do you know there are foods in your grocery store that are deceptively labeled? I plan to write more about that in another post.

If we don’t change our eating habits and go outside and exercise we will die much sooner than we should. Do we really need a warning label telling us that the drink we just bought is bad for our health? I don’t think so. We need to take responsibility for the choices we make, especially when it comes to food.

 


About Inge

Cancer survivor. Healthy organic food coach. Public speaker. If you have a story you want told, contact me at iscott.orangejuiceblog@gmail.com/